One time MMA fighter Gina Carano gets another shot at a
leading action role (after the very enjoyable and much underrated Haywire) in the tropical set In the Blood. Carrying the picture
admirably on her shoulders, Carano proves again she’s a good fit for the action
heroine lead as she attempts to find her missing husband (Gigandet) on the
Caribbean island where they were celebrating their honeymoon. Enticed to try
some of the world's longest zip-lines (which are used effectively and thrilling
in several of the film’s set-pieces) Ava (Carano) and Derek (Gigandet) are
having a blast until Derek’s harness snaps and plunges him into the jungle
below. Whisked off in an ambulance, Ava is told to follow Derek and the
paramedics and meet them at a nearby hospital. However, Derek never makes it to
the hospital and Ava is plunged into an alien world as she desperately searches
for her husband. It doesn’t take her long to figure out something shady is
going on (not least with the lack of help from the local law enforcement) and
she soon sets out on her own to find her husband and punish those, Taken style, who have snatched him.

You see, Ava is a trained survivor (something her husband
didn’t know about her) and, as shown in a series of flashbacks, taught by her
survivalist father (Lang) to fight and kill. This gives Carano’s Ava plenty of
chance to kick some butt and knock some teeth out as she is thrust into a dark
criminal world fronted by Lugo (Nolasco) and Big Biz (Tejo). However, while In the Blood (ably directed by John
Stockwell: Turistas, Into the Blue)
gives Carano the chance to flex her fight muscles she also gets to flex her
acting ones: and does well at both. In fact, for the first half of the film,
proceedings have more of a thriller element than an action one as Carano
desperately searches for her husband. Nicely shot on location, proceedings have
an almost docu feel helped in part by Stockwell’s neat use of different types
of cameras to film (phones cameras, CCTV cameras, helmet cams on the zip-lines)
meaning In the Blood works best as an
edgy thriller. Aside from the nice location work, Carano is the main driving
force and really makes the film work. Since Haywire
and Fast and Furious 6 her screen
presence has really come along and she certainly holds her own in the dramatic
scenes. The rest of the familiar face cast are really just there for support,
only getting a few scenes each, though Nolasco registers as a particularly
nasty bad guy.

There could have been a few more sustained fights, though
when Carano does start kicking butt the fights are fast and brutal and heavily
MMA influenced: the lady knows how to kick ass. The zip-line set-pieces are the
standout sequences as they are vertigo-inducing and tensely staged, adding a
unique twist to the action. Yet, even if there isn’t as much action as one may
have hoped for its Carano’s relentless mission through the seedier side of the
Caribbean that gives the film its momentum and the former fighter turn actress
proves again she’s got the talent to become a leading female action star. Now
give her another film/role quick.

The Substitute
series (where a former special ops badass goes undercover into troubled schools
to fight corruption, and was originally kicked off by Tom Berenger) amazingly
made it to 4 entries. Good old reliable Treat Williams returns for a third go
around and this time goes undercover at a military school to fight white supremacists.
The domineering and ruthlessly racist Brack (Kilpatrick) runs the school with
an iron fist seemingly converting everyone and anyone to his cruel and violent
beliefs. With his squad of seasoned cadets, The Werewolves, Brack proves an
imposing force for Williams’ solider turned undercover teacher.

This series has always been entertaining with the various
gangs either Berenger or Williams have come up against, while posing as teachers, providing ample opportunity for some hard-hitting action. This entry is no
different (and the military school setting is a nice change from your typical
run down/inner city school environment) but perhaps finds itself hitting badass
soldier-poses-as-teacher-to-kick-some-ass fatigue. The action is also a little
thinner on the ground this time around with Williams and Kilpatrick not even
getting a fight scene: hey, no fair! However, the lovely Angie Everhart (Jade) provides a nice distraction,
especially for Williams (with the level of sex and nudity certainly ramped up for
this instalment!) and B-movie action mainstay Tim Abell (Special Forces) also provides solid support as Williams’ army buddy
roped in to help out.

There could have been a few more action scenes to pad out
the runtime but what action there is fairly inventive and rough-and-ready as
per the previous entries. Williams gets to show off some hand-to-hand skills
(though is obviously doubled on occasions) in a couple of high impact fights
and there is a particularly over-the-top sequence where he is attacked by rocket
launcher wielding cadets and thwarts them by using (what else!) a massive JCB
digger to squash them. B-movie action craziness!

No as entertaining as previous entries and the original The Substitute is still the best but The Substitute 4 is an entertaining
enough low rent action sequel to wile-away 80 or so minutes late one evening.

Cool Target

About Me

From B-movies to blockbusters; kung-fu to car chases movies; explosions and even a bit of sci-fi, you'll find it here at Cool Target. This blog is a simple appreciation of the most under-appreciated genre of cinema: action. Old and new reviews, both short and long will be posted regularly detailing action blockbusters, B-movies, kung-fu flicks and more. Enjoy.